721
FXUS65 KBYZ 300744
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1244 AM MST TUE DEC 30 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- GUSTY WINDS (35 TO 55 MPH) WILL CONTINUE OVER THE FOOTHILLS WEST
OF BILLINGS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MINOR TRAVEL IMPACTS I-90
LIVINGSTON TO BIG TIMBER AND US-191 BIG TIMBER TO HARLOWTON.
- A GENERALLY QUIET WEATHER WEEK AHEAD WITH ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS.
- PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW LOOK TO RETURN TO THE SOUTH AND WEST
SLOPES OF THE ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS FROM FRIDAY INTO THE
WEEKEND. PLAINS LOOK TO REMAIN MOSTLY DRY.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH MONDAY...
AREA WILL REMAIN IN A NORTHWEST FLOW REGIME BETWEEN PERSISTENT
TROFFING TO THE EAST AND RIDGING TO THE WEST. OVERALL THIS PATTERN
WILL PROVIDE DOWNSLOPE WESTERLY WINDS RESULTING IN WELL ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS.
AN OCCASIONAL DISTURBANCE DROPPING SOUTHEAST OUT OF W.CANADA INTO
THE MEAN TROF WILL CLIP FAR EASTERN ZONES, BRINGING SLIGHTLY
COOLER AIR AND A BRIEF PERIOD OF NORTHERLY WINDS, BUT LITTLE IN
THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION. THE FIRST OF THESE DISTURBANCES IS
CROSSING THE AREA THIS MORNING, BUT THIS ONE IS VERY WEAK AND
MAINLY SHOWS UP AS A WEAK PRESSURE TROF AT THE SURFACE KEEPING
WINDS STIRRED UP OVER THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS. THE NEXT ARRIVES
EARLY WEDNESDAY AND IS A BIT STRONGER, PUSHING TEMPERATURES OVER
SE MONTANA DOWN 5 DEGREES OR SO FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
WINDS CONTINUE TO TREND WELL ABOVE GUIDANCE OVER THE WESTERN
FOOTHILLS THIS MORNING. UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE/SURFACE TROF
MOVING THROUGH THE AREA AT THIS TIME SHOULD BRING A PEAK IN GUSTS
BEFORE SUNRISE THIS MORNING FOR THESE AREAS, WITH LESSER WINDS FOR
THE REST OF THE DAY. WINDS WILL RAMP BACK UP TOWARD CURRENT LEVELS
LATE THIS EVENING AHEAD OF THE NEXT DISTURBANCE WITH GUSTS IN THE
40 TO 55 MPH RANGE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN. ISOLATED GUSTS TO AROUND
60 MPH CAN'T BE RULED OUT BUT REMAIN IN THE 30% RANGE SO WILL
CONTINUE TO HOLD OFF ON WIND HIGHLITES AT THIS TIME, BUT KEEP
MESSAGING THE GUSTY WINDS FOR THE LIVINGSTON (I-90), BIG TIMBER
AND HARLOWTON (US-191) AREAS INTO WEDNESDAY.
PACIFIC MOISTURE, COURTESY OF ANOTHER ATMOSPHERIC RIVER IMPACTING
THE WEST COAST, WILL TRY TO ADVECT INTO THE AREA BY FRIDAY AND
MAY PERSIST INTO THE WEEKEND. SUPPORT FOR PRECIPITATION WITH THIS
FEATURE IS MINIMAL AS THERE IS MID LEVEL CONVERGENCE OVER THE AREA
THANKS TO THE BROAD TROF TO THE EAST NOT MOVING. SUBSIDENCE
PRODUCED BY THIS CONVERGENCE WILL KEEP THE LOWER ELEVATIONS MAINLY
DRY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WEST FACING MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS WILL SEE
A BETTER CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AS THE MID LEVEL
MOISTURE IMPACTS THOSE AREAS, HOWEVER THE LATEST MODEL TRENDS ARE
FOR LESS SNOW OVERALL WITH THIS MOISTURE FLUX OVER THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES.
HIGHS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S TO
LOWER 50S WEST, AND FROM THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S EAST. CHAMBERS
AVIATION
WEST/SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY AT KLVM,
K6S0 AND K3HT WITH GUSTS 30-45KTS EXPECTED. VFR CONDITIONS WILL
PREVAIL. TS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 045 032/049 034/050 035/053 037/055 032/050 029/048
0/U 00/U 00/E 00/E 01/B 11/B 00/B
LVM 045 030/051 032/050 035/051 037/052 032/046 028/046
0/N 00/N 01/E 10/B 12/R 11/B 01/B
HDN 045 024/047 025/047 030/051 031/053 029/048 024/048
0/U 00/U 00/E 00/E 01/E 11/U 01/B
MLS 039 023/038 022/039 024/042 027/047 029/045 024/044
0/U 00/U 00/B 00/E 00/B 11/B 00/B
4BQ 043 026/046 026/048 030/049 031/052 030/048 026/046
0/B 00/U 00/B 00/E 00/B 11/B 00/U
BHK 038 021/036 018/038 018/041 024/047 025/045 021/042
0/U 00/U 00/B 00/E 00/B 11/B 00/U
SHR 045 025/051 028/051 029/051 030/054 027/048 023/047
0/B 00/U 00/B 00/B 01/B 11/B 00/U
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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